Episode 097

                "He wants a battle! Let's give him one."
                                Star Scream, Tranformers

                The white hospitals walls made the three grown men frightened. Standing in black denim and darkly-faded blue jeans, the three men stood huddled around their tattos and and apprehensions. Will was the first to step forward, with Matt and Oliver following behind him. The leader of the Silver Pistols stepped up to the nurse's station and held up his hand.

                "Yes?" The middle-aged looker said to him after a moment of awkward silence where he said nothing. "How can I help you?"

                "We're, uh, we're here to see Alan." Will said, shrugging a bit.

                The woman stared at Will with a blank look. "Alan . . ." She said, trying to promt him for more information.

                "Alan Dunston." Oliver said from behind Will. The man's deep voice seemed to startle the woman, but she turned to her computer and quickly typed. The three men were left hovering over the desk like statues at a funeral.

                "He's down that way." The woman said, pointing back behind her, to the left hall. "He's in room 143." She said. "You can go in and see him, if you want. He's doing much better now."

                "Much better?" Matt asked, his round eyes holding fear. "Is he . . . okay?"

                "Well, he's still in critical condition, but he's stablized." The woman said, trying to sound hopeful. "But he still hasn't woken up."

                Ledger skidded to a halt. The dust flapped around him as the wind carried it down the hill, leaving him at the edge of a large, open field populated by rocks, trees, and bushes. Nothing else in the grassy field stood out or drew any kind of attention to itself.

                The knight stood still for a moment, standing up straight. He scratched behind his ear, then reached into his black jacket, pulling out his sawed off shotgun. He cocked the gun with a fast pump, then held it out towards the nearest collection of bushes. "Okay, boys." He announced to the field. "I know you're in here. And more specifically, I know that there's several of you in here. So why don't you just come out before I have to open you all up like an over-priced sardine can."

                Out from the bushes, the smaller man stood up. He looked panicked and flushed in the face, but his hands were up and a worried look on his face.

                "Okay. Good." Ledger said, nodding as he kept his gun trained on the man. "Now, the rest of you losers."

                Six men stood up, guns in hands.

                "Oh hell." Ledger sighed with a bored breath.

                The door to the hospital room opened just a crack at first, the white light from the other world invading the artificial abience created by the machines. The heavy, cordroy blinds were drawn tight over the window and the television remained silent, leaving the only light the host of machines hooked up to the body on the bed.

                Marilyn looked up, bleary-eyed from exhaustion and her emotions. She lifted her head up from it's place on the corner of Alan's bed as the door to the room opened more slowly the wider it got. "Hello?" She said, standing up.

                Will, Matt, and Oliver tumbled over each other as the door suddenly gave way, letting the three band members come rolling onto the floor at the foot of the bed, becoming a fast pile of denim and leather before Marilyn. The girl couldn't help but laugh, the break in the tension nearly turning her laughter into tears.

                "Hey." Will said, standing up in front of the other two, as if the trio had just recovered from some comical catastrophe on stage. The lead singer glanced at his two bandmates, then smiled at Marilyn. "Hey." He repeated nervously.

                "Will." Matt breathed a reserved whisper, the large stomach of a man said to get the singer's attention. Will turned to look back at his drummer, but the act forced him to glance at the bed. And that simple glance captured his attention. Marilyn smiled one last time at the three, then looked to the bed also.

                Alan lay unconscious on the simple white bed of the hospital, a host of wires, IVs, and tubes coursing in and out of him. Most of his face was one bruise while cuts and scrapes predominated his upper body. The white hospital gown that he wore was stained red in multiple places.

                Ledger lowered his head down as the shots richocetted off the top of the rock he was hiding behind. He pumped his shotgun again and waited. The shots continued to come. "Okay guys." The black knight said, taking a moment to pull out his cell phone. He hit three buttons and the phone began to dial. It rang twice while the shots continued.

                As soon as the phone finally picked up, Ledger yanked it forward so he could scream clearly and directly into the receiver with all his might. "GET YOUR ASS OVER TO THE PARK BY THE UNIVERSITY'S THEATER! I'M GETTING SHOT AT!" He slammed the phone shut and stood up, firing his shotgun at the closest of the many targets.

                "What happened?" Will asked as he stood at the foot of the bed. Oliver had retreated to the bathroom while Matt looked over the chart, pretending to understand it. Marilyn had resumed her place by the bed, her hands patiently in her lap.

                "He got attacked." She said, shrugging stoically. "That's all I know. That's all anyone knows."

                "Who did it?" Matt bit, focusing on the charts so he didn't have to look at anyone. "Who did it?!"

                "We don't know." Marilyn exclaimed with a hint of defeat in her voice. She looked away. "But I have a guess or two." She whispered. When she looked back, she couldn't tell if Will had heard or not. The awkward silence continued until the door opened again.

                Malcolm came into the room, carrying two large styrofoam cups. He stopped immediately, staring at the two men in the room with Marilyn. The look of recognition hit and Malcolm smiled. "Hey guys!" He said, grinning for the first time that day. He looked at Marilyn and winked at her. "You know Victor's going to be mad."

                "Not now, Malcolm." Marilyn said seriously, waving off his smart-ass comments.

                The three men moved towards each other, shaking hands and smiling. For a moment, the light in the room rose as a sense of comroderie was established between the three. But in the background, Marilyn watched. She leaned on her hand, watching the three men, one of whom barely knew the other two. But as if their common bond of gender was enough, they had found comfort in each other's presence. And she was left on the outskirts.

                Ledger stood up, pulling the trigger on his shotgun, causing the massive cannon to spew out it's death. The explosion seemed to deafen the clearing as the other shooting stopped for just a brief second. It took Ledger an eternity to take the first step, the heavy metal hand of his gun slipping just a bit as he cocked it back. He heard the metal collide, loading the next shot, as he took his next step. He released the pump on the third step. And then, with the fourth step, he pushed off the ground, up into the air.

                For a moment, time had slowed. And Ledger rose up over the first bush, his arms and shoulders sailing over ahead of the rest of him. Inverted by his diving leap, Ledger moved to land on his shoulders, to roll after the impact. But not before he got in one simple act.

                The pulling of the trigger caused blood to explode from the agent's back as his jacketless suit of black became stained with crimson. The man fell back against the bush, the leaves sprayed with the man's life.

                Ledger landed in a roll, even as shots hit the ground around him. He rolled over his shoulder once, then hit the ground on the side and kept rolling right up to the rock of the next agent. Ledger flattened himself up against the rock, pumping his gun again. Bits of rock chipped near his ear as the bullets moved dangerously close.

                The knight leaned back, closing his eyes. For a moment, the sound of guns disappeared. For a moment, the light of the muzzle flash was gone. For a moment, Ledger was all alone with the universe, the only feeling was the blood in his vains and the steel in his hand.

                He smiled.

                Marilyn shut the door, so that only she, Malcolm, and Oliver were in the hall outside. The founder of the World Alliance looked up at the well-muslced bass player, more of the hair on the top of his head growing up in a dual-leveled state with his mohawk. His eyes, hard and intense, returned Marilyn's gaze.

                "We want you to join the World Alliance." Malcolm said, after a moment of silence. He looked back at the door to the room, letting it speak for itself. "We think we know who did this and we're going to make sure that they pay. But in order to do that, we need more capable of people."

                "More capable as in, more people like you, or people more capable than yourselves?" Oliver asked. Marilyn thought abut the question sincerely while Malcolm dilberated over whether or not he had just been insulted.

                "Whatever it is, I'm not . . ." Oliver took a moment, then stopped. He looked at the door, staring at it for what seemed an eternity. Marilyn and Malcolm looked at each other, uncertain what would happen.

                "I'll join." Oliver finally declared.